So here’s the thing. Peas n’ rice is the side dish on the table at every Bahamian event. If you go to a restaurant or take-away that serves Bahamian lunch and dinner, peas n’ rice is going to be on their menu. It’s not hard to make, but it is hard to make well. At…
Recipes
Coconut Cardamom Chia Pudding
The past several days have been the best since the year started! My best friend from college and her fiancé came here to celebrate his birthday. I hadn’t yet met him, and hadn’t seen her in a few years, so you can imagine that it was exciting times. We talked geography, Black Panther and broken…
Sorrel Iced Tea
One set of my great-grandparents was Scottish. Brother Tom’s father’s parents. They were the McKenzies, and Cotton – what they called my great-grandfather, moved to Jamaica with his three brothers. I guess they came for land, and the chance to be their own independent, successful men. They spread out across the island, didn’t really keep in…
Brother Tom’s Saltfish
Friends! I am in the best mood today because the sun is out. It has been so rainy here recently that I told my mum a couple days ago I wasn’t sure I really lived in The Bahamas. I know bringing up the weather is the cliché thing to do when there’s nothing to talk…
Blender Banana Pancakes
I come to you today with your next best breakfast idea. These blender banana pancakes have seriously been a game changer for me. No doubt they will be for you too. The first time I made them – sometime in the middle of the summer – I was amazed at how simple they were to…
Boniato Potato Stir Fry
I love boniato potatoes and whenever I see them around I hop to eating them. They’re less popular here nowadays than they were when I was growing up. One lunch time at my mum’s house I pulled this boniato potato stir fry together into a delicious meal that she and I polished off in two…
Ginger Tahini Green Smoothie
I first made this ginger tahini green smoothie from desperation more than anything else. Well, desperation is too strong a word, but I was out of peanut butter and really wanted to have some kind of a butter in my green smoothie. I wondered for a second if it would throw the whole drink off…
Tuna and Grits
Tuna and grits is a classic Bahamian combination, appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner, but traditionally eaten for breakfast. When I was a student abroad it was a comfort food and a way to fight homesickness. Then, whenever I came home, it was one of the ways I felt welcomed and grounded. At some point not…